In this line of work–the eating-things business–you reach a point where eating three dinners in one evening seems like a reasonable, even modest, proposition. I hit that point several years ago. Then, some time after that, you find you’re okay with the idea of the third dinner starting at 1 a.m. and involving a whole roast lamb shoulder. That’s where I’m at right now. I blame all this on Michelin-starred British chef
Nathan Outlaw and Philadelphia’s
Michael Solomonov of the extremely popular modern Israeli restaurant Zahav. Both happened to be in town cooking dinners at separate restaurants on the same night. And I wasn’t about to miss either one.

I made the reservation for Outlaw’s dinner at The John Dory Oyster Bar relatively early–6:30 p.m.–figuring I’d give myself plenty of time to digest before Solomonov’s 1 a.m. dinner, and maybe avoid coming out of this full of self-loathing and shame. In any case, Outlaw’s food was light and delicate; the man is the Eric Ripert of England.

There were fried oysters with pickled vegetables and oyster mayonnaise, followed by cured salmon with a chunky beet dressing and rich horseradish cream. Perhaps the best dish of the evening was a small crock of poached bream with piccalilli spices, broccoli, and spinach. It was sweet, spicy, tangy, and luscious all at once, the kind of dish that lingers in your mouth for the rest of the evening.

More dishes arrived, more wine was poured, and eventually the meal came to an end. And then I realized: I had five hours until my next dinner. So there was drinking to be done, first at The Library at The Nomad,
Daniel Humm and
Will Guidara’s cozy bar space, then Budweiser at Lucy’s, the sort of East Village dive bar where you can totally lose track of time, playing rounds of pool and drinking cheap beer.

But two hours in, we realized there were hot dogs to be had right around the corner. Specifically, a trio of dogs at Crif Dogs, the quirky counterpart to the beloved cocktail den PDT that made a name for itself with tater tots and bacon-wrapped hot dogs. And so, after a few Miller High Lifes and and a Jon Jon Deragon (cream cheese, scallions, and everything bagel seeds), it was, at last, time for Solomonov’s dinner. The Zahav chef was cooking two seatings at Momofuku Ssam Bar, kicking off chef de cuisine Matthew Rudokfer’s Late Night Dinner series.

If David Chang has an Israeli analog, it’s Solomonov. He’s not doing strictly traditional anything and it’s all done with a rock star ethos and a boldness of flavor that can’t be ignored. Solomonov’s dish of sable, challah, fried egg, and poppy seed may be his pork bun–it’s certainly the best breakfast I’ve had for dinner in a while. But, like Chang, he can be subtle too. Creamy hummus, a bright cucumber salad, beets spiked with tahini all please without bombing your cut. And yes, I’d pay to watch a no-rules cage match between Chang’s pork shoulder bo ssam and Solomonov’s whole roast lamb shoulder, which was brined in a concoction that includes allspice, peppercorns, and fennel seed for two days. Once roasted, the result is crispy skin on tong tender meat. I’ll walk to Philly for it.

Of course, I couldn’t leave without asking Solomonov if he’d consider opening in New York. He smiled, mentioned something about his friend Jason Marcus, the owner of Traif in Williamsburg, and declared he loved New York, but said he’s “plenty busy in Philadelphia.”